What’s Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’s secret?
The much-loved musical, which has been performed in more than 80 countries worldwide, continues to thrill audiences – including last night’s HMT fans – more than 50 years after its premiere.
The well-known story follows Joseph who is envied by his brothers for being their father’s favourite. As the brothers’ jealousy grows, they decide to sell him to slavers. But despite his misfortune, Joseph manages to work his way to the top of Egyptian society through his powers of dream interpretation.
With lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, many theatre-goers come see the musical for the famous tunes such as Any Dream Will Do, and Go, Go, Go Joseph.
But I’d say it’s the show’s strong cast – and their powerhouse voices – that ensure the musical based on the character of Joseph from the Bible’s Book of Genesis remains so magical.
Famous faces
Back in 1991, it was Jason Donovan who made Any Dream Will Do an instant hit – it became his third solo UK Number 1 single. Donovan then handed the coat to actor and popular TV presenter Phillip Schofield.
Other famous faces who starred in the musical included Donny Osmond – one of The Osmonds (an American family musical group) and The X Factor winner Alexandra Burke.
And a brand new star was born in 2019 when Jac Yarrow made his West End debut as Joseph.
Last night the talented actor received a well-deserved round of applause for his rendition of Close Every Door – but his show-stopping performance will surely open many more doors for him.
I’m certain a bright – you could even say technicoloured – future is in the cards for the young performer.
Brilliant understudy steals the show
Linzi Hateley, the original narrator opposite Jason Donovan some 30 years ago, was meant to make an appearance last night, but she wasn’t able to due to illness.
However, understudy Rochelle Sherona was more than ready to step into the narrator’s funky trainers and tap shoes. She delivered a brilliant performance and put her own twist on the famous role.
Bobby Windeban, who played Pharaoh, also deserves a mention. His very ‘King Of Rock and Roll’ version of Poor Poor Pharaoh/ Song Of The King received the biggest laughs and it definitely made some of the audience members want to see the new film Elvis at the cinema.
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is in Aberdeen this week
The production set – designed by Morgan Large – was truly larger than life and added another dimension to the much-loved family classic. However, one must wonder if the lurid depiction of Egypt couldn’t have been toned down a notch for the 2019 West End revival and the current touring production.
And if there was to be another revival of the popular tale of Joseph, I’d lose the fake beards the child actors were wearing too. The unnecessary – and very am-dram-looking – props felt rather out of place in an otherwise glittering production.
But overall, it was certainly a fun night out. Most audience members seemed to know the songs by heart and the final performance – Joseph Megamix – brought everyone to their feet and left theatre-goers grinning on the way home.
So Go, Go, Go see Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat while it’s still at His Majesty’s Theatre until Saturday July 2. Tickets can be purchased here.
You can also let us know what you thought of the production in the comments below.
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